The Wall Street Journal writes (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124950421033208823.html#):

"Amid the economic downturn, there are fewer places in New York to plug in computers. As idle workers fill coffee-shop tables -- nursing a single cup, if that, and surfing the Web for hours -- and as shop owners struggle to stay in business, a decade-old love affair between coffee shops and laptop-wielding customers is fading."

Glenn Fleishman (@WiFiNetNews) tweets that there is nothing new here, that it's been a love-hate relationship between cafe owners and Wi-Fi users-- especially when the coffee drinkers morph into cyber-squatters who demand table space for hours without buying anything.

But there are many ways to rekindle the love, as cafes with Sputnik-powered networks (among them Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) can attest. Here are some of the ways cafes use SputnikNet to moderate Wi-Fi usage:

• Link Wi-Fi access to purchase 
• Limit time or bandwidth, and require a new purchase in order to top off the Internet access 
• Create "coffee breaks" - intervals when Internet surfing is blocked, so customers can stretch their legs, get something to eat or drink-- even chat with the person sitting next to them 
• Block peer-to-peer applications that soak up bandwidth 
• Identify and block network abusers 
• Use custom-branded Wi-Fi access to engage customers, sign them up for online newsletters, build goodwill

Broadband addition is probably only second to caffeine, and customers appreciate having access to both. But it's a two-way street. Most people understand that reasonable Wi-Fi restrictions are necessary and are more than happy to comply.

Loading mentions Retweet